


Sacred Space

by RinHaruismyOTP



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Actaeon (Myth), F/F, Greek/Roman Mythology - Freeform, Ovid's Met
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 17:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17943905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinHaruismyOTP/pseuds/RinHaruismyOTP
Summary: Luna. The goddess of the moon, the most beautiful sight Ginny had ever laid eyes on. She had watched her dance in groves too many times to count, moving to a music only she could hear, listened to her hum to herself as she fed the animals they weren’t to hunt, and every second she was as beautiful as she’d ever been.Ginny is a nymph in love with her goddess.





	Sacred Space

Ginny dreamt of scenes like this a lot. This mist of the morning had dissipated, leaving the water clear and undisturbed but for her mistress’s bathing by the waterfall. Nymphs were playing on the bank, darting not far into the woods for fear of Callisto’s fate, or Syrinx’s. Too often one of Ginny’s sisters would stop to stare sadly at the reeds or spot a pregnant lady from afar and sigh for the ones they’d lost. Laurel trees seemed to cry as the huntresses passed by, and Ginny could never help taking a leaf off the tree to take with them. Instead, they stayed close to their mistress in the glade, comforted by her gentleness and confidence in her power.

 _Luna_. The goddess of the moon, the most beautiful sight Ginny had ever laid eyes on. She had watched her dance in groves too many times to count, moving to a music only she could hear, listened to her hum to herself as she fed the animals they weren’t to hunt, and every second she was as beautiful as she’d ever been. She wondered often if she too would be cast out, or destroyed, perhaps, if Luna could read into her mind and see the things she often imagined there. The virgin goddess, made dirty in the thoughts of one of her own followers – it was repulsive. Of everyone Ginny should have known better.

But Luna mustn’t have known that power herself, for still she turned her head towards where Ginny was sat and smiled dreamily. “Ginevra,” she said, and while Ginny usually winced at her full name, it always sounded so _right_ coming from her mistress, in a way it never had from her mother. “Come here, bring some pins.”

Ginny didn’t hesitate. The chance to touch her mistress’s cascading hair was a delight afforded to few, and to see herself chosen made her warmer than Luna’s brother lighting up the sky, even now at midday. Her mouth dried as she approached her, and for a moment tried to distract herself with _anything_ that wasn’t her mistress stood nude in front of her, barely paces away: her brother singing, badly; her other brother, staring wistfully out of the window as he thought of pranks to play on their mother; _another_ brother answering riddles like they were an obvious joke. She hadn’t seen her brothers in years, and yet she would change nothing if it meant she could stay at Luna’s side.

She touched Luna’s hair reverently, stroking down to its tips and biting her lips to hold back a sigh. She returned to the top, weaving her hands through the fair locks to clear tangling. “Is this okay?” Ginny asked, and Luna gave her a smile once more.

“Of course. I trust you, my nymph.” Ginny flinched, glad Luna had turned away. _You shouldn’t trust me_ , she thought, _not when I think what I do, when I imagine what I do,_ feel _what I do_. _Oh, my lady_ …

Nonetheless, Ginny set about gently twisting her mistress’s hair over and over into a plait, then gathering it in a knot at her nape. Even when it was done, she was reluctant to let go, to lose her connection to the centre of her world.

And then the scene was disturbed. Out of the woods rushed a young man, laying eyes on the goddess and nymphs’ naked bodies, and Luna didn’t hesitate to protect her girls.

***

Even later, when the howling of the dogs had died down, the nymphs didn’t leave Luna’s side, where they’d gathered around her in a shield. “The nerve,” Ginny was muttering, “to disturb you here of all places. You should’ve ripped the eyes from his face.” Luna’s hand was resting on her head, a calming motion she had administered to all of them at some point.

Luna laughed, a tinkling thing. “You’re so headstrong, Ginevra. I think I did enough, don’t you?” she suggested, and Ginny grumbled her approval. Still though…

“Maybe you should just take them from all of them. Then this would never happen again, and our sisters would have their vengeance.” There was an enthusiastic murmuring from the nymphs, Callisto’s name shed in the wind, the most recent of their number to be abused.

Luna only laughed again, though. “You would have me cut out the eyes of my brothers, of my father and uncles? My dear, it could not be done.” That quieted her, and instead of replying Ginny lay her head on her mistress’s leg, relaxed by the feel of her fingers twining through her loose hair. Then, suddenly, “We will all hunt together, the next days coming,” Luna announced, and Ginny felt the collective relief of her sisters, and indeed joined in it.

Slowly, as night approached, the nymphs moved away. Not far, and none without a companion close by, but Ginny was left alone with her mistress, who held her back by her wrist as she made to leave her side. “Ginny,” Luna said, eyes gentle, “would you have me remove your sight too?”

Ginny went cold, blood draining from her face. “I- I beg your pardon, my lady?”

Luna eyed her critically. “Yes,” she said, “I bet you do.” And then she smiled. “I do love you, Ginny. I love all of you. As I’m sure you love them too. But for you…”

For the first time Ginny could remember, Luna hesitated. Then she leaned in close, and pressed her lips to Ginny’s forehead, lips warm even in the intensifying chill of the closing day. When she drew back, she smiled, and all Ginny could do was gape, and finally breathe despite not realising she’d stopped. It had to be a dream, and yet for all her dreams they’d never been this vivid, this perfect and terrible balance between perfection and despairing. She was awake, and within a moment everything had changed, and yet nothing at all.

“My lady,” she finally breathed out, but Luna shook her head, eyes turning to the sky.

“It’s time for my chariot to rise,” she said simply, and Ginny nodded. “Protect the others this night, Ginevra, but I’ll be watching over you all. As always.”

She smiled, and was gone, and with her Ginny’s heart. If something had changed, that never did.

**Author's Note:**

> Er, so don't really know what this is? I was reading some Ovid and got a bit inspired? Let me know what you think?


End file.
